MSE Blog

[ Added: 08/12/2017 07:01 PM ]

2017-18 FALL/WINTER MEETINGS FAST APPROACHING!

The MSE 2017-18 Fall/Winter Organizational Meetings are now less than two weeks away, and this year there's even more reason not to miss. In addition to the traditional free food and beverages, we'll be raffling off a pair of tickets for one of the first Red Wing games at the new Little Caesars Arena! And, this being our 20th Anniversary year, every registering team rep in attendance will receive a quality 20th Anniversary MSE hat to take home. Mark your calendar: The Frasermeeting will be Tuesday, Aug. 22, at Warfield Grill in Fraser; the Mt. Clemens meeting will be Wednesday, Aug. 23, at Mt. Clemens Ice Arena; and the Trenton/Southgate/Taylor meeting will be Thursday, Aug. 24, at Trenton's Kennedy Recreation Center. All the meetings start at 7:30 pm and will feature discussions of new rules for the coming season, schedule and facility issues -- everything you need to know to hit the ground running for the Fall/Winter season starting up right after Labor Day. Questions? Email us at info@msehockey.com. Hope to see you there!
-- Al Zawacky
   Steve Ricucci
[ Added: 11/09/2016 09:54 PM ]

RAYMOND F. KRAEMER, 1945-2016

MAHA District Playoffs . . . MAHA Adult States . . . the Labatt's Tournaments up in Lansing . . . the Michigan Sports Enterprises Fall/Winter Organizational Meetings . . . we can't even imagine any of these without the cheerful and knowledgeable presence of MAHA Vice President Ray Kraemer, who passed away late Monday night after a brave fight with cancer.  And the enthusiastic smile on his face made it clear that no one had more fun participating in these annual events than he himself did -- no one loved "The Game" more than Ray, and his loss to amateur hockey is truly incalculable. Mr. Kraemer's visitation is scheduled Saturday, Nov. 12, from 4-9pm, and Sunday, Nov. 13, from 1-9pm at Wujek-Calcaterra & Sons, 36900 Schoenherr at Metro Parkway (16 Mile). In Lieu of flowers, contributions to Hockey Fights Cancer, Ray Kraemer Memorial Fund, http://main.acsevents.org/goto/raykraemermemorialwould be appreciated by the family. Our deepest sympathy goes out to Ray's wife, Barb, and his family for their tragic loss, but we hope there is at least some comfort and consolation in knowing how respected and beloved Ray was by everyone in the amateur hockey community and, of course, all of us at MSE. Rest well and God bless you, dear friend -- you will be sorely, sorely missed!

-- Al Zawacky
    Steve Ricucci

 

[ Added: 10/06/2016 12:42 AM ]

FALL/WINTER SEASON SETS ANOTHER RECORD!

October is here, the 2016-17 Fall/Winter season now at full throttle, and once again we need to take a moment to express our appreciation to all MSE participants for making this our biggest season ever. There are an all-time record of 212 MSE teams playing out of our five host arenas this Fall, up nearly 9 percent from last year's record and the most teams since we started up in 1997 -- a pretty good way to set to stage for our 20th Anniversary year in 2017! Over the years we've never lost our focus: provide the best leagues, tournaments and schools possible, while keeping prices affordable and giving our teams and participants the best value for their hockey dollar. And while we're human and obviously not perfect, nobody works harder at adult hockey or cares about its customers like MSE! Sincere thanks for your trust and friendship, and have a great season playing this great, great game!

-- Al Zawacky
Steve Ricucci

[ Added: 07/12/2016 08:32 PM ]

SUMMER HITS 80 TEAM MARK FOR FIRST TIME EVER

With all 2016 Summer Leagues now up and running, we're happy to report that there are a record total of 80 teams playing Summer hockey out of Mt. Clemens, Trenton and Fraser. That's the first time in MSE's 19 years that we've broken the 80 mark in the Summer -- in fact, it wasn't that long along that 80 teams in the big Fall/Winter season seemed like a reasonable goal! We've said it before, but it's always worth repeating -- we really appreciate all our teams and players and would just like to say THANKS to all of you. We know that the guys (and gals) who play in the Summer are a special breed, with a special passion for this great game -- and that love of the sport is fully shared by all of us here at MSE. Best of luck and enjoy the season!

-- Al Zawacky
Steve Ricucci

[ Added: 04/21/2016 01:36 AM ]

SPRING 2016: ANOTHER RECORD SEASON!

We've got a final team count on the 2016 Spring season, and the numbers are pretty amazing -- 11 leagues, 26 divisions and an another all-time record of 161 teams. That's up another 5% from last year's team total, and an amazing 32% from the number of Spring teams we had just four years ago. We'd like to think that we're doing something right here, but we also know that the numbers reflect just how much all of you love playing this great, great game -- a passion that is fully shared by all of us at MSE! The bottom line is we continue to be humbled and deeply grateful season after season for the friendship and loyalty of so many teams, players and participants, all of which have made MSE the largest single adult hockey program in Michigan for nearly 19 years running. THANK YOU!!!
-- Al Zawacky
Steve Ricucci
[ Added: 10/22/2015 11:00 PM ]

PLANS MOVING AHEAD QUICKLY FOR 2016 OUTDOOR CLASSIC!  

Interested in having your team participate in the 2016 MSE Outdoor Classic? We need to hear from you as soon as possible – as in NOW! 

As outdoor hockey continues to grow in popularity, ice reservations are already filling up fast at Detroit’s Clark Park, which means that we’ll need a final count of participating teams much earlier than in past years. The general 2016 target dates are Sunday afternoons and evenings in January and February, with the exception of Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 7. Look for specific dates to be announced soon, definitely before the end of October. 

As in past years, there will be a premium charged to all participating teams (final amount to be determined by Clark Park ice costs), and we will do our best to give each team a shot at some “new competition,” scheduling as many “inter-arena” games as possible.  Teams from all MSE Fall/Winter leagues – Fraser, Mt. Clemens, Trenton and Southgate – are welcome to participate.

If your team definitely wants to skate in an outdoor game this winter, let us know ASAP, in writing, at info@msehockey.com.  These requests MUST come from the recognized team captain/team rep, and since ice availability is limited, we can’t guarantee any team a spot.  Accordingly, all requests will be handled on a first-come/first-served basis. Currently, the following teams have already submitted written requests to participate – Bulldogs (MC), Dirty Mike & The Boys (MC), Downriver Moose (TR), Entity Athletics (TR), Galco Engineering (MC), Healthcore Physical Therapy (TR), KCCO (TR), King Kobras (MC), Papa’s Pizza (FR), Polar Ice (MC), Rookies (TR), Style Craft (MC), The Mighty Drunks (MC), Travis Sliders (MC), Whisker Biscuits (TR) and Wolfpack (TR). So, if your team is not on this list and you definitely want to be, LET US KNOW!

-- Al Zawacky

[ Added: 07/23/2015 11:17 PM ]

SUMMER 2015 SETS ANOTHER RECORD!

We're a little tardy in posting a quick and very sincere THANK YOU to all our 2015 Summer teams. Once again, this current season broke an all-time record with 78 total teams, up 5 percent from 2014 and an amazing 70 percent from the Summer numbers we had just five years ago. We are once again grateful to all our teams, players and participants for their continued loyalty and friendship.

For 18 years now, our No. 1 goal has stayed the same -- to earn your trust and business by providing the best adult hockey leagues, schools and tournaments possible, at fair and affordable prices, and with levels of service and organization that the rink-run and mega-corporate programs can't hope to match. And, as always, if you ever have an idea or suggestion that might make MSE ever better, please let us know.

Best of luck in the rest of the 2015 Summer regular season and, of course, in the coming Summer playoffs!
-- Al Zawacky
    Steve Ricucci
[ Added: 06/20/2015 08:50 PM ]

WEB ISSUES: SOME GOOD NEWS, AND SOME BAD NEWS

The source of the recent problems with the MSE website that some of you have been experiencing has been identified.  It has to do with security upgrades recently made by hosting companies, changes that are helping ensure that everyone's information is kept private and secure when they do business online.

That's a good thing, right?  Absolutely.  The bad news, however, is that secure and encrypted areas of msehockey.com -- specifically, the online registration page -- will no longer be accessible to people using older web browsers. The only solution is to upgrade or change your browser.

A bit of a hassle, we agree. But the upside -- enhancing web security and helping ensure that your information doesn't get into the wrong hands -- is something everyone can get behind.  Any questions moving forward, let us know.
-- Al Zawacky
    Steve Ricucci
[ Added: 06/18/2015 11:27 PM ]

PROBLEMS WITH OUR WEB SITE REPORTED

Early this week we began receiving emails and phone calls from MSE players who reported that they were unable to access www.msehockey.com. At first we thought these were just temporary issues with our server -- which does happen from time to time -- but when the complaints continued we realized that something more serious was involved.

At first it appeared that the problem was limited to persons who have specific (usually older) versions of Internet Explorer on their PC, laptop, tablet or mobile device. But then we began to receive complaints from individuals using other browsers as well.

Fortunately, most people are not experiencing any problem. But that's not much consolation, of course, to those who can't access the site, especial with the Spring Playoffs in full swing and Summer League registration now open. Our webmaster is aware of the problem and is working on a solution. In the meantime, we apologize for the inconvenience and will do our best to get this fixed ASAP!
-- Al Zawacky
    Steve Ricucci
  
[ Added: 04/27/2015 11:52 PM ]

2015 SPRING SEASON BREAKS THE RECORD -- AGAIN!

With the 2015 Spring season now well under way, we're happy to report that MSE has set a new record with 153 total teams playing hockey with us this Spring. Incredibly, that's up more than 25 percent from the 2012 total of 122 Spring teams, and nearly 5 percent up from last year's impressive count.

As we've stated so many times before -- in this blog, on our Facebook page, and elsewhere -- we are deeply grateful to all our teams, players and participants for making and keeping MSE the largest single adult hockey program in Michigan. THANK YOU for your loyalty and friendship over the years. Our goal is to continue to earn your trust and business by providing the best adult hockey leagues, schools and tournaments around, at fair prices and with standards of service and organization that the "rink-run" and mega-corporate programs can't hope to match.  And, as always, if you every have an idea or a suggestion that might make MSE even better, please let us know at info@msehockey.com.

Best of luck to all our teams and players in the Spring regular season and playoffs!
-- Al Zawacky
Steve Ricucci
[ Added: 02/18/2015 04:50 PM ]

MEMORIAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR CHRISTIAN BRINING

We've been informed that a memorial service for Christian Brining will take place on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 1 pm (in state 12 noon) at Peace Lutheran Church, located at 15700 East Warren, Detroit 48224.  After the services, their will be a Memorial Luncheon at Orleans Sports Cafe, 100 Macomb Place, Mount Clemens 48043.

We are sure any donations to the family would be appreciated, given the sudden and unexpected nature of Christian's passing, and the fact that he reportedly did not have any life insurance.  Anyone who would like to donate may contact Chuck Pleiness at cpbusy@comcast.net.

Arrangements are being made by Will & Schwarzkoff Funeral Home in Mount Clemens.  The link to the obituary and online guest book is http://www.willandschwarzkoff.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=2968469&fh_id=11925.
-- Al Zawacky
    Steve Ricucci


.

[ Added: 02/17/2015 05:28 PM ]

IN MEMORY OF CHRISTIAN E. BRINING, 1965 - 2015

Yesterday, we received the shocking and terrible news that Christian Brining, captain of the Polar Ice team in the MSE Mt. Clemens Sunday D League, passed away Sunday night from an apparent heart attack. 

Christian was a devoted hockey player and a fine gentleman -- a fixture at MSE for many years.  We join with everyone in the MSE hockey community in expressing our sincerest sympathy and condolences to his family, who will be in our thoughts and prayers.

Memorial arrangements at this point are pending, but we will share them here at soon as we have something definite.
-- Al Zawacky
    Steve Ricucci


[ Added: 09/25/2014 12:59 AM ]

THANKS FOR ANOTHER RECORD-SETTING FALL SEASON AT MSE!

The "final" team count is in for the 2014-15 Fall/Winter season and, once again, we find ourselves staggered, humbled -- and grateful.

Currently, there are an all-time record 194 teams playing in the Fall/Winter leagues at Fraser, Mt. Clemens, Trenton and Southgate, up by about 7 percent over the previous record set in 2013-14. And, late registration is still open at three of the arenas. If you think you have a Fall/Winter team or if you're an individual looking for one, shoot us an email ASAP at info@msehockey.com.

Once again, THANK YOU to all our teams and players for continuing to make MSE the largest single adult hockey program in Michigan. Your continued loyalty and friendship mean a lot to us, but we know we have earn and re-earn your trust each and every season by providing the best-run adult hockey leagues around. Our goal remains what it always has been: To provide YOU with a great league, at fair prices, and with the top-level organization and personal service that you've come to expect from MSE.

Here's to another GREAT hockey season at Fraser, Mt. Clemens, Trenton and Southgate!
-- Al Zawacky
Steve Ricucci
[ Added: 07/14/2014 02:29 PM ]

NEW RECORD SET FOR SUMMER LEAGUES

The "final" team count is in for the 2014 Summer leagues, and all we can say is "wow" -- and "thank you."

Currently, there are an all-time record 72 teams playing Summer hockey at Mt. Clemens, Trenton and Fraser, topping the previous high of 64 set in 2013 by some 13 percent.  And, late registration is still open at all three arenas.  If you think you have a Summer team or if you're an individual looking for one, shoot us an email ASAP at info@msehockey.com.

Excuse us repeating ourselves, but once again THANK YOU to all our teams and players for continuing to make MSE the largest single adult hockey program in Michigan.  Your loyalty and friendship mean a lot to us, but we know we have earn and re-earn your trust each and every season by providing the best-run adult hockey leagues around.  Our goal remains what it always has been: To provide YOU with a great league, at fair prices, and with the top-level service and organization that you've come to expect from MSE.

It's going to be a great Summer of hockey at Mt. Clemens, Trenton and Fraser!
-- Al Zawacky
    Steve Ricucci
[ Added: 03/22/2014 11:59 PM ]

SPRING LEAGUE MEETINGS & DRAFTS: AN EXPLANATION

Some of you noticed that there are no Spring Draft Skates scheduled this year for individual players looking for a team, and have asked why that is.  Well, last year we held four of them -- at Fraser, Mt. Clemens, Trenton and Southgate -- and the total attendance probably could've fit comfortably in a single dressing room.  So, continuing to organize these draft skates -- at least in the Spring -- didn't strike us as a very good investment of time and money. 

This doesn't mean that individual players aren't welcome in all of our Spring leagues this year.  If you're looking for a team, just fill out an application and get it to us ASAP.  There's zero risk, too -- if we're unable to form a draft team or get you placed on a team you're comfortable playing with, any money you pay is 100% refundable.

We no longer hold Spring Organizational Meetings at Fraser and Mt. Clemens for pretty much the same reason that we cancelled the draft skates -- low participation.  Downriver, the turnouts have been better, but we decided to combine the Trenton and Southgate leagues to a single meeting -- Thursday, April 3, 7:30 pm at Legend's 1926 Bar & Grill inside Kennedy Rec Center in Trenton.  Combining the two leagues to a single meeting makes sense, since there will probably be some inter-league play between the two rinks during the Spring season -- IF the teams approve it.  Final league nights need to be hashed out as well, so showing up April 3 will be time well spent if you're planning on playing Spring at either Trenton or Southgate this year.

And besides, the pizza and pop is on us.  Cash bar, however -- at the insistence of our lawyer. lol
-- Al Zawacky
    Steve Ricucci
[ Added: 01/03/2014 03:59 PM ]
 WEATHER-RELATED CANCELLATION?  YOU'LL HEAR FROM US!

In the wake of the recent brutal winter weather -- and with more snow in the forecast -- now would be a good time to review MSE's cancellation policy.  Specifically, in the very unlikely event of a cancellation, we will contact the affected teams' managers/reps in order to save as many players as possible an unnecessary trip to the rink.

How unlikely is "very unlikely"?  Well, consider that MSE has been around almost 17 years, and in all that time we have NEVER had a weather-related cancellation, despite some pretty significant winter storms.  The only cancellations that have ever occured have been due to nonweather-related mechanical or  electrical failures, including the multi-state power outage way back in August 2003.

So, captains -- there's no need to contact us to ask if any games have been cancelled.  If there are cancellations, you will hear from us.  And, players: In the event of a serious storm, contact your team manager.  If he hasn't heard anything from us, the safe assumption is that the games are on.

-- Al Zawacky
   Steve Ricucci

[ Added: 11/25/2013 06:06 PM ]

COMERICA PARK -- AND THE 2014 MSE WINTER CLASSIC

Many of you have already noticed the MSE game scheduled at Comerica Park on Tuesday, Dec. 17, and have asked about the possibility of scheduling additional games in Downtown Detroit in December.

As every Detroit hockey fan knows, Comerica Park will be hosting the Hockeytown Winter Festival Dec. 27-31, while Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor will be the site of the Bridgestone Winter Classic pitting the Red Wings against the Maple Leafs on New Year's Day.  However, the Dec. 17 game was an initiative of the Dager Systems team, which plays out of our Tuesday B/C League at Fraser, and its captain, Angel Woodruff.  We were only asked if we'd be OK with supplying referees and recording it as an official MSE game between Dager Systems and the other Dager Systems team playing out of our Friday C/D League at Mount Clemens.  We had no problem doing that -- in fact, we're just as excited about being there to help put the game on as the players are to participate.

That said, there's a reason this is a one-time event.  First, while ice at Comerica Park was available for public sale, everything has already been booked solid, as is evident from our 11:30 pm start time on Dec. 17!  There's also the not-so-small matter of cost.  One hour of ice at Comerica is a staggering $2,500 -- easily more the 10 times the maximum price we pay at any of our four host arenas.  Any way you crunch the numbers, that works out to a premium well north of $1,000 per team for one single game.  And while many of the players and captains we've spoken to have said they'd be willing to cover their share of that, it's obvious that kind of of money ruled out our making this a wide-ranging event available to several other MSE teams.

Which brings up a related subject -- last January, Clark Park in Detroit hosted the first-ever MSE Winter Classic, featuring four teams from our Trenton leagues.  We've already had several teams express an interest in participating in a 2014 MSE Winter Classic and, yes, we do plan on organizing several outdoor games in either January or February, depending on ice availability and team response.  The games will probably be on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, and there will likely be a small premium involved in addition to regular ice fees due to higher costs.  If your team is interested in participating in an outdoor game this winter, email us ASAP at info@msehockey.com.

BTW -- photos from the 2013 MSE Winter Classic are still posted on our NEWS page!  
-- Al Zawacky
   Steve Ricucci 
[ Added: 08/01/2013 08:48 PM ]

MORE THAN JUST A NAME CHANGE IN FRASER!

You might say that something new is something old, too, at our biggest host arena, the place where MSE got started back in 1997.

Effective Aug. 1, Great Lakes Sports City officially became Fraser Hockeyland -- although a few things at the facilty still need to be changed and updated with the "new" name.  It's a name with a lot of history behind it and a very familiar one to many of us in the Metro Detroit hockey community.
 
Fraser Hockeyland was the original name when the ice facility on Utica Road first opened its doors back in 1970 with a single sheet, the current Michigan arena.  The facility name was changed to Fraser Ice Arenas in the early 1990s, after the completion of what is now Superior arena; and then became Great Lakes Sports City in 1996 when a fifth sheet (Erie arena) was added and the concession stand, pro shop, arena office and lobby area were completely rennovated and remodeled.

More than just the name is changing in Fraser, however.  If you haven't stopped at the "new" Fraser Hockeyland lately, we encourage you to do so.  You literally might not recognize the place.  New ownership is now making the upgrades, repairs and rennovations that everyone knows have been long, long overdue.

If you have any comments after looking things over, let us know -- we'll pass the word to the new ownership and management.  Bottom line is, for the first time in a while, we're enthusiastic -- rather than  a bit nervous -- about the new Fraser Fall/Winter season coming up in September!
-- Al Zawacky
[ Added: 10/05/2012 03:29 AM ]

IT'S HERE - THE NEWLY REDESIGNED MSE WEBSITE!

Welcome to the new msehockey.com! We hope it meets with your approval.

This being MSE's 15th anniversary year, we had long planned to mark the special occasion by launching a major freshening-up of the MSE website, which hadn't undergone a significant revision since Spring 2002. In the end, however, the redesign proved to be a bigger project than had been anticipated, so the original goal of launching the new site early in the year proved impossible.

At any rate, the changes you see aren't just cosmetic. While the new site is more eye-appealing, it's also more functional and user-friendly, particularly when being viewed on a mobile device.

BTW: Those of you who are long-time MSE customers (the very attentive ones, anyway!), may recall that this is actually the fourth version of the MSE website going back to 1998, when we became the first adult hockey program to post standings, schedules, etc., on the Internet. Incidently, does anyone remember what our original URL was back in 1998? (This isn't a trick question; our original web address was NOT www.msehockey.com, which wasn't launched until 2000.)

Answer: www.misportent.com -- which today might take you to a sporting goods store or a porn site, for all we know. lol!

Anyway, feel free to tell us what you think of the new msehockey.com by emailing us anytime here at info@msehockey.com!

-- Al Zawacky
   Steve Ricucci
[ Added: 08/26/2012 01:56 AM ]

A COUPLE THINGS TO NOTE FOR THE NEW SEASON . . .

2012-13 is a "no-rule-changes" year for USA Hockey and the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association (M.A.H.A.), so there are no new rules handed down from on high for the upcoming Fall/Winter season.  There are, however, a couple minor changes in the MSE Rules, which we figured we'd highlight here for the benefit of those who weren't able to attend the Aug. 21-23 Organizational Meetings.

First, at all three MSE arenas -- Fraser, Mount Clemens and Trenton -- any team that fails to fill out its half of the scoresheet before the opening faceoff will be subject to a two-minute bench minor for delay of game.  Our motivation here is simply to help keep the games on time; too many teams are leaving the sheet at the check-in desk, leaving it in the dressing room, or passing it around on the bench in a panic at the end of warm-ups.

The team captains are responsible to make sure this gets done, and it's not tough -- a last name and number is all that needed, and it shouldn't take more than a minute, if that.  A great idea is to have simple computer-generated stickers made up with all the names and numbers, which can then be easily affixed to the scoresheet at check-in.  Just remember to bring three stickers -- one for the white league sheet and one for the pink and yellow copies that go to the teams at the end of the game.
 
The only other change pertains to Trenton only -- we're going to go with blue-line icing effective with the start of the new season.  All this means is that icing will only be called when a player shoots the puck the length of the ice from behind his own blue line, not from behind the center red line.  The Trenton referees recommended this change to eliminate some unnecessary whistles and move the games along.  We proposed a blue-line icing rule at both the Fraser and Mount Clemens meetings as well -- but the captains in attendance decisively voted it down.

Any questions about either of these minor rule changes, just contact us at info@msehockey.com.  Best of luck in the Fall/Winter season!
-- Al Zawacky
   Steve Ricucci
 
[ Added: 09/06/2011 11:26 PM ]

A COUPLE FRIENDLY NOTES ABOUT USA HOCKEY REGISTRATION!

With the new season starting up this week, we have a couple of items we'd like to address about 2011-12 USA Hockey Registration.

First, please do NOT send us your USA Hockey confirmation page or confirmation number by email.  Remember, we've got three arenas, nearly 140 teams and well over 2,000 players to keep track of.  Sorting through the hundreds of emails we receive each week and having to print out and file 50 or so confirmaton pages is not fun stuff -- especially when more than half of them arrive without any indication of which rink -- much less which team -- the person plays for.  And it doesn't save paper, either, when you use email -- we just have to print them out here, since scanning the bar code is a lot easier and more reliable when loading rosters than hand-entering hundreds of confirmation numbers.

Also, please be aware that anyone who does not have USA Hockey insurance the first night and asks MSE to register for him will be charged $40 rather than the $35 USA Hockey charges when you do it online.  Guys, we are NOT trying make money  on this -- what we're trying to do is encourage everyone to register online and make the first night of the season run smoother.  Over the last 12 months, we have had to personally process more than 200 USA Hockey registrations during the Fall, Spring and Summer seasons -- a waste of manhours and a royal nightmare the first several weeks of the season, when we often had lineups of guys trying to register at check-in.  If you don't have a PC or a credit card, have a friend do the registration for you -- please don't expect to easily get it done at the rink the first night!

Again, the easiest way to register is to do it on your home, work or a friend's PC, print out the confirmation page and hand it to the MSE rep before taking the ice.  Any questions or comments, please let us know.  And best of luck to everyone in the new season!
-- Al Zawacky
   Steve Ricucci  
[ Added: 08/26/2011 12:20 AM ]

RULE CHANGES FOR THE 2011-12 FALL/WINTER SEASON


If you attended any of the three 2011-12 Fall/Winter Managers' Meetings in Fraser, Mount Clemens or Trenton this week, you know there are some significant USA Hockey rule changes for the new season.  If you didn't, here is a concise summary of what to expect:
  • Any avoidable contact after the whistle shall be penalized strictly, including scrum situations around the goal or along the boards. Officials are instructed to assess an additional penalty to those players acting as the aggressor or who instigate any avoidable contact after the whistle.
  • Fighting now calls for an additional suspension of three games for a player who is assessed his second major penalty for fighting on the same team during the same season.  A third fighting major on the same team during the same season will result in a Match Penalty, with the player suspended from ALL USA Hockey sanctioned leagues until a hearing has been conducted by the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association.
  • Penalties for removing a helmet during an altercation have been strengthened.  Specifically, a game misconduct will be assessed to a player whose helmet/facemask comes off during an altercation; a Match Penalty will be assessed to any player who deliberately removes his (or an opponent’s) helmet/facemask during or prior to an altercation.
     
  • A major plus a game misconduct will be assessed for rubbing, grabbing or holding the facemask.  At the official's discretion, a Match Penalty may also be assessed.
The above are USA Hockey rules, over which MSE has no authority to waive or make less stringent.  We can, however, make MSE rules MORE stringent than USA Hockey rules -- which is exactly what we do in the case of fighting.  Under MSE rules, a single fighting major is a $25 fine and 2 game suspension; a second fighting major (on the same team in the same season) is a $50 fine and 4 game suspension; and the third fighting major (same team/same season) will result in suspension for the remainder of the season, including playoffs.

The only MSE rule change for 2011-12 pertains to major penalties.  At the discretion of the referee, a major penalty may or may not require a game misconduct and one-game suspension, consistent with USA Hockey standards.  The old MSE rule mandated a game misconduct and suspension for ALL major penalties -- which often created confusion among newer officials unfamiliar with MSE rules.  Accordingly, we thought it would be better to simply go with the USA Hockey guidelines. 

All other rules and operating procedures, including the 11-minute stop-time periods and the shootout format we introduced two years ago, remain the same in 2011-12.

Any questions, let us know at info@msehockey.com.  Best of luck in the new season ahead!
-- Al Zawacky
   Steve Ricucci
  
[ Added: 12/21/2010 08:47 PM ]

MSE DONATING MORE THAN $1,000 TO SELECT CHARITIES
 

We recently selected eight charities to receive year-end donations from MSE -- money collected from the "charity fines" assessed when a fight or major penalty is called.

This week, we'll be sending a total of $1,050.00 in checks to the Paralyzed Veterans of America ($100); the March of Dimes ($100); the Detroit Institute for Children ($100); The Salvation Army ($100); the USO ($50); the Alzheimer's Association ($200); the American Diabetes Association ($200); and the Karmanos Cancer Institute ($200).  That final donation is a memorial in the name of the late Ken Dion, who was a regular in our Saturday League at Great Lakes Sports City before he was diagnosed with lung cancer several years ago.  In addition to being an enthusiastic hockey player, Ken was a fine gentleman, and we were saddened to recently learn of his passing over Thanksgiving weekend.

Obviously, fights and major penalties are NOT something we want to see or encourage.  But it's good to know that this money is helping so many worthy causes -- especially at this time of the year.

In the spirit of the season, we wish all our teams and players a Merry Christmas, and all the best in the New Year ahead.
-- Al Zawacky
   Steve Ricucci
[ Added: 09/13/2010 10:28 PM ]

A CLARIFICATION ON SHOOTOUTS . . .

We had an incident come up last night in Trenton that calls for some clarification in the MSE Rules.  This is something that we had never thought about -- which is rare but, for the record, does in fact happen. :)
 
As everyone should know, MSE Rules state that any player who is in the penalty box at the final buzzer of a tied game is NOT eligible to participate in the shootout.  After last night's incident, we're officially clarifying that this ineligibility does NOT apply to a player who is merely serving a penalty for an infraction he did not actually commit.  Specifically, a player serving a bench minor; a player serving a penalty committed by his goaltender; or a player serving a penalty committed by a teammate who has been tossed from the game (which is what happened last night in Trenton).

We figure that, in each of these special cases, banning the player sitting in the box from participating in the shootout is unfair, since he actually committed no infraction.  However, since MSE Rules were silent on this point, the two Trenton officials made a decision on the fly that made sense to them, since our Rules do clearly state that "any player who is in the penalty box serving his unexpired penalty at the conclusion of regulation time may not participate in the shootout."  But the key word in that sentence, in our view, is his -- if he's not serving his penalty but a penalty committed by others, he should be eligible for the shootout like any of his teammates.

Hope that all makes sense to everyone.  Questions?  Let us know!
-- Al Zawacky
   Steve Ricucci
[ Added: 04/14/2010 01:44 PM ]

MSE IN THE HEADLINES

Check out the April 14, 2010, edition of the Macomb Daily, both online and print.  We're proud to say that there's a story there about MSE -- how we got started and how we put the cutomer FIRST in all we do.  The online story can be found at http://www.macombdaily.com/articles/2010/04/14/business/srv0000008034963.txt.

Despite a bad economy, we've had a great year and an even better nearly 13-year run since things got started in June 1997 -- just days after the Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup since 1955.  Hopefully, both MSE and the Wings have more good times ahead!

We have a lot of fun doing what we do but, as we've stated before, the real credit for any success we've achieved ought to go to our customers -- the teams and players who choose to skate at an MSE rink.  Every decision we make is based on what we think is best for the teams and players, and what we think will make participating in an MSE league, clinic or tournament even more enjoyable and fun.  And nobody works harder than we do to control costs and keep adult hockey as affordable as possible.  Thanks to all of you for your loyalty, and we promise to be just as loyal to you in return!
-- Al Zawacky
   Steve Ricucci
[ Added: 03/30/2009 05:46 PM ]
MSE REIGN CONTINUES AS MICHIGAN'S BIGGEST ADULT HOCKEY PROGRAM!

Thanks to our customers -- the over 200 teams and 2,500 players who particpate annually in an MSE adult hockey league or clinic at one of our three arenas -- MSE has retained its title as Michigan's largest single adult hockey program.

According to USA Hockey, Michigan Sports Enterprises ranks fifth in the entire U.S. in number of individuals registered and first in Michigan.  No other Michigan program even made the top 10 nationally.  This is an honor we've held ever since USA Hockey started annoucing official totals several years ago -- but we're sure our "No. 1 in Michigan" status actually goes back to 1997 when we were first organized.

Again, Steve and I want to express our appreciation to all our loyal customers for making this possible.  As "The Adult Hockey Program Run by Adult Hockey Players," we are ALWAYS ready to go the extra mile for our teams and players.  As always, please let us know whever you have a comment or suggestion.  And thanks for your loyalty and friendship! 
-- Al Zawacky
[ Added: 02/01/2009 12:00 AM ]
A WORD ABOUT MSE PRICES . . .      

Everybody's talking about the bad economy these days, and everybody's hurting in one way or another.  Given the current conditions, we're frequently asked if the recession has directly impacted MSE in any way.  Afterall, if you're having trouble paying for the heating bill or the mortgage, it's unlikely that you'll have a lot of money left over for recreation.  And hockey is not, as we all know, a cheap sport to play.

Our answer has been that, so far, we've been able to hold our own -- knock on wood.  And we think there's a reason for that -- MSE prices.  From the first day MSE was organized, we've done our absolute best to keep our costs as low as possible and establish ourselves as not only the best-run adult hockey program, but the VALUE LEADER as well.  The numbers speak for themselves: Our per-game fall/winter prices at Great Lakes Sports City in Fraser are essentially unchanged from 2001-02 -- that's seven full years ago.  Our Adult Hockey Clinic is a GREAT value at $195 for 10 full sessions, a price that has NEVER increased in the nearly 10 years since the program was started.  Our value prices at Fraser, Mount Clemens and Trenton have actually forced competing programs in those areas to cut their own prices or hold the line on increases that would have happened otherwise.

That's the difference between an Adult Hockey League Run by Adult Hockey Players -- and an adult hockey league run by mega-management companies and corporations that are out to squeeze every buck they can out of anybody walking in with a pair of skates.  Recession or boom times, Steve and I will always be focused on giving all our teams and players the BEST POSSIBLE VALUE for their hockey dollar! 
-- Al Zawacky
[ Added: 01/04/2009 02:28 PM ]
INTRODUCING . . . THE MSE BLOG!
 

Welcome to our blog, a new feature of the Michigan Sports Enterprises Website!
 
Beginning with this post, we will periodically comment on topics such as proposed rule changes, officiating, divisional realignments, facility issues, etc.  We'll give credit where it's due after watching an exciting or well-officiated game, too, and give you a heads-up about what's down the road in terms of playoffs, future seasons, tournaments and hockey schools.

The goal is to provide all our teams and players with more insight on what goes on "behind the scenes" at MSE.  We are always thinking about ways to make "The Adult Hockey Program Run by Adult Hockey Players" an even better experience and value for the most important people at MSE -- YOU, our customers!

Be sure to check out this page often, and feel free to give us your comments and feedback at info@msehockey.com.

See you at the rink!
 
-- Al Zawacky
   Steve Ricucci
   MSE

Michigan Sports Enterprises, Inc.

34400 Utica Road, Fraser, MI 48026
200 N. Groesbeck Highway, Mt. Clemens, MI 48043
3101 West Road, Trenton, MI 48183
14700 Reaume Parkway, Southgate, MI 48195
13333 Telegraph Road, Taylor, MI 48180
35500 Eight Mile Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48335
 
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